“Wait for me for a while. I will return the clothes immediately.” After hanging up the phone, Qiao Zijin undressed and placed the clothes in a bag without a word. She then sent them, which still had her warmth, over to Qiao Dongliang.
After putting down the phone, Qiao Dongliang’s entire body felt a little listless. It was as if someone had sucked out much of his strength.
It was a matter that he thought could be easily resolved and should not pose any problem. Unfortunately, there were so many side issues. He felt that it was really very tiring to communicate with his elder daughter.
This was such a simple matter. Why did her elder daughter make it so complicated and exhausting?
Sitting listlessly, Qiao Dongliang mustered his courage and said to Qiao Nan, “Nan Nan, I have always heard the elders saying that one has to pamper and spend money on daughters but be strict and spend less money on sons. Now, it seems that this is true. I am not capable. Your sister refuses to budge whenever she has her eyes on something good. Your sister is very picky. This is her first time coming across good stuff. She would inevitably make some mistakes. Fortunately, she is willing to rectify her mistake. Don’t take issue with her.”
Qiao Nan turned and looked at Qiao Dongliang. “Dad, it’s not just the Zhai family. You should be most aware of how willing the outsiders are in sending me gifts. Until today, I only have two sets of clothing given to me by my future mother-in-law in my closet. Are you saying you have been spending very little on my sister and a lot on me?”
Damn, was he kidding her?!
Qiao Dongliang choked on his breath. “No, it’s different. You… you resemble more of our Qiao family. Your… your sister resembles Old Ding’s family!” Qiao Dongliang said with some annoyance.
Everyone from the Qiao family was good. Zijin had been led astray by Ding Jiayi. That was why she was so improvident.
Fortunately, this matter happened at home and the embarrassment was contained.
Otherwise, Qiao Dongliang’s little wish of getting along amicably with Qiao Zijin would have been snuffed out totally.
“I’ll give you 100 marks for this explanation.” Qiao Nan’s lips curled. Good things resembled her father and bad things resembled her mother. Wow!
Bam! After about forty minutes, there was a loud slam on the door. Qiao Dongliang quickly stood up. He wanted to let Qiao Zijin salvage her image in front of Qiao Nan. “Your sister is back. See, she is a good one. She is willing to listen to me.”
After Nan Nan was married, he did not have many other thoughts. He just needed to think of ways to rectify the flaws in Zijin’s character.
He believed that since he had taught Nan Nan so well, he would certainly be able to make Zijin become a good lady.
Look at how much Zijin obeyed him.
That was wishful thinking on Qiao Dongliang’s part. However, Qiao Zijin’s behavior gave Qiao Dongliang a vicious slap on the face.
When Qiao Dongliang opened the door and looked at Qiao Zijin happily, he saw Qiao Zijin hugging a bag in her arms. The bag was dirty and Qiao Zijin was crying miserably. “Sorry, Dad. You have to help me explain to Nan Nan later. I didn’t do it on purpose. As I rushed my way here, I tripped and fell. I spoiled Nan Nan’s clothing.”
“S-spoiled?” Qiao Dongliang’s head seemed to have been hit by a hammer. He was stupefied.
He was not sure why, but Qiao Nan’s earlier words rang in his ears: If the clothes are spoiled or have any problem, get Qiao Zijin to pay back according to the market price.
These words of his younger daughter seemed as if she was able to predict the future. She seemed to know that his elder daughter would definitely fall and the clothes would not be saved.
No one had the power to predict the future. In this case, the words of the younger daughter and the fall of the elder daughter… What did this mean?
“Hahaha…” Qiao Nan, who had been standing behind Qiao Dongliang, laughed. “This fall is too wonderful.”
“Nan Nan…” Qiao Dongliang opened his mouth, wanting to say ‘your sister didn’t do it on purpose.’ However, Qiao Dongliang reacted as soon as these words floated in his mind. So, in his heart, he felt that his elder daughter had fallen on purpose and the clothes were not torn due to an accident?
Qiao Nan took out the clothes from the bag. “Even if you fell while wearing the clothes, normally, the pants would be torn since you’re wearing it on your lower body. However, your fall has also torn the shirt. Qiao Zijin, why are you so capable? How did you fall? Can you teach me? Do you have a secret skill? A typical person definitely can’t do this.”
At the sight of the few holes on her clothes, Qiao Nan sneered. “Dad, look at these marks. It doesn’t look like they have been stepped on accidentally by someone. It looks like footprints of someone who purposely stepped on it. These few holes, did they result from the fall or someone stepping on them with strength? Hahaha…”
Qiao Nan did not wish to speak anymore. “Dad, remember what I told you earlier?”
She would definitely not wear the clothes that Qiao Zijin had worn before, even though she insisted to have it back. It was fine that they were torn, lest she have to damage it herself.
Qiao Dongliang was neither blind nor brainless. Could he not tell such obvious footprints?
Having a fall would result in footprints on the clothes? She was trying to bluff a three-year-old child.
There were only a few spots on the clothes that could tear if one were to fall while wearing them. For the shirt, it would be the elbow. For the pants, it would be the front part of them.
If a fall resulted in one tear on the clothes, it must have been a severe fall, not to mention that there were so many tears currently.
The problem was that the clothes that Qiao Zijin was wearing now looked fine and clean and she was walking so swiftly. No one could tell that she just had a vicious fall.
Qiao Dongliang could not refuse to admit that Qiao Nan was right. The tears in the clothes were definitely not caused by a fall. Instead, someone had stepped on the clothes and twisted them hard to tear them.
At this moment, Qiao Dongliang was extremely disappointed with Qiao Zijin.
Given Qiao Zijin’s behavior, Qiao Dongliang really could not trust that she was genuinely regretful and wanted to be a pair of close sisters with Qiao Nan.
Judging from the current situation, Qiao Zijin was only paying lip service as that was not her true intention.
Qiao Zijin, whose cheap tricks had been exposed, turned red in the face. “Dad, no. I didn’t do it on purpose. I… I accidentally tore them.” How did Qiao Nan’s eyes grow to be so sharp?
After thinking, Qiao Zijin was really reluctant to return the clothes that she liked to Qiao Nan. Qiao Nan clearly had so many clothes, yet she was so petty and could not bear to give her a set of them.
On the spur of a moment, Qiao Zijin did something to this set of clothing. She placed them on the cement floor, stepped and trampled on it until they had a few tears.
Qiao Zijin thought that the few tears that she had created were quite convincing and others would not be able to tell.
Who would have known that Qiao Nan would be able to see through it at one glance?
“Whether she did it on purpose, I don’t mind. Dad, you’re the one who lent her the clothes. I will leave it to you to get the money back then.” Qiao Nan had also learned how to wash her hands off matters. Since her father dared to allow Qiao Zijin to touch her clothes and Qiao Zijin did such a shameful thing, her father had to settle this matter even if he had been slapped many times in the face.